Chapter 11
It was an utterly ordinary first section of the newspaper.
“……”
Though its content was far from ordinary.
Ian stared at Kanoe, who was reading the article with innocent eyes, unsure of what to say.
We agreed to use each other, didn’t we?
Sure, I deliberately misled them, but I didn’t expect this to turn into a huge scandal.
Still, it dealt a blow to the Frederic family. Shouldn’t I be thankful?
‘Why am I even worrying about this…?’
Realizing he wasn’t thinking rationally, he reflexively touched his wrist.
It had been a long time since he’d taken off the gloves he always wore like part of his body.
Hands were the part of the body most prone to contact with others. For someone like him, who despised unnecessary contact, gloves had always been essential.
It was too exhausting to learn things he didn’t want to know through meaningless touch.
But Kanoe Bluebell…
“I’ll take off the cuffs. They won’t do much here anyway.”
During interrogations disguised as identity checks, Ian always used the same tactic to lull prisoners into lowering their guard. Most slipped up the moment their restraints came off.
But Kanoe Bluebell was different.
Looking at her felt like staring into the deep sea. It was like silence had entered a world that had never once been quiet.
No, there had been one time.
“Ian?”
Kanoe suddenly leaned in, flipping to the front page of the newspaper.
Ian quietly followed her gaze. If he could, he would’ve read it directly. It was paradoxical—despite his aversion, it was still the most convenient way.
He had no idea what might come out of her smoothly parted lips. What on earth was going on in that little head?
“These days, even this kind of trash—no, petty gossip—gets printed, huh?”
If he had to name the emotion he felt now, it was probably… curiosity.
“So, want to explain?”
“…Explain what?”
Kanoe grinned. There was clear mischief in her smile.
“Hmm, maybe something like ‘I can’t go see Kanoe with all these navy officers following me!’?”
“……”
“Just kidding. No way Ian would say something like that.”
Reading people’s minds was both convenient and insufferable. But not knowing someone’s thoughts—
“What if I did say that?”
“…Huh?”
Kanoe blinked like a sea otter who’d just lost its clam. Ian smiled faintly.
“I couldn’t very well bring a bunch of nuisances along when coming to see you.”
—Not knowing someone’s thoughts was surprisingly… enjoyable.
Do people fall apart after a brush with death?
Well, I’m living proof. After dying a few times, I stopped trusting people. My emotions must’ve worn out. Maybe my heart just broke.
So it was entirely possible that Ian had issues too. He drank so much seawater, maybe it got to his brain.
And if not his brain… maybe Jelly accidentally ate something important?
“Master, your face is really red! Are you feeling feverish?”
“No. It’s just hot. My seat’s right in the sun. Go adjust that shade properly.”
“Right away, Master!”
Jelly ran off to tug at the canopy. On days like this, even the blazing morning sun didn’t seem so bad.
Fanning myself, I summarized the situation Ian had explained.
“…So basically, you didn’t come looking for me. You just ended up here by coincidence.”
“Hearing it phrased that way makes it sound a little sad. But it’s true I was following you.”
“Ian, I’m being serious now. Will you answer my questions honestly?”
He nodded slightly. I lifted my fingers and asked with a tense expression.
“What’s two plus two?”
“Four.”
“And what year is it in the Aquilae Empire calendar?”
“This is year 191.”
“…And the name of the Crown Prince?”
“His Highness Ashton.”
Ian was perfectly fine. The way he answered without hesitation proved Jelly hadn’t eaten his memory.
“…Then why would you say something like that?!”
Ian smiled silently. This was entirely my own misjudgment. All the information I had on him came from newspapers and other people’s words.
There hadn’t been enough time to truly understand what kind of person Ian Frederic was. Sure, he’d seemed strange when we first met on the ship—
“But you’re the one who joked first, Kanoe.”
…Okay, that was true.
After seeing that ridiculous headline, how could I stay calm? My reaction was my own way of staying composed.
“I thought maybe Jelly had eaten your memory…”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
A man who lived as a loyal navy officer in order to betray his family.
Ian really was strange and twisted. At least, that was my impression when I’d first heard of him in prison.
“But… I just felt a little happy.”
This time, when he laughed out loud, I let my shoulders slump.
“Well, if we made it onto the front page of the Imperial Times, our notoriety must be something now.”
In the end, he wanted the same thing I did.
The downfall of the Frederic family couldn’t be far off. Using me to escape from that family wasn’t a bad move.
“Lucky, really. Commander Markello misunderstanding like that wasn’t something I expected.”
“Seems like the admiral was quite fond of you.”
“…You think so?”
He tilted his head slightly and looked back at the newspaper.
‘Admiral Markello’s Last Conversation with Traitor Ian Frederic’
Despite the flashy headline, the interview content surprisingly lacked any harsh criticism of Ian.
“I suppose he chose to see me in the best possible light. Not that it matters—sooner or later, everyone will know we’re fake lovers anyway.”
“Sooner or later, yeah.”
Until the navy stopped chasing us, our time as temporary companions had a set expiration date from the beginning.
Public opinion was like fire. It blazed hot, but once the fuel was gone and the embers cooled, people lost interest completely.
Right now, we were the sensational topic—lovers on the run, fugitives. But I would vanish beneath the waves again soon.
Once the firewood was gone, the flame would die.
That’s all I wanted. To fade from memory, and live freely.
“So don’t worry. It’s not like the navy will track us down with some cheap tabloid…”
The navy… track us down?
Something was wrong. How could they have sent a Pelican Transmission if they didn’t know our location?
“…Ian.”
“Yes?”
Ian, who had been listening quietly with a serious face, picked up the newspaper again. We’d both focused so much on the article that we missed the bigger issue.
Pelican Transmission only worked between people who knew each other’s personal codes.
I’d never been issued one, so I wasn’t the recipient.
“That message was for me.”
As if reading my thoughts, Ian replied calmly.
“I was issued two codes for shipboard communications. One for official use as an admiral, and one for personal use.”
“So someone out there knows where we are?”
“I deactivated the official code. So this wasn’t from that one.”
I glanced at his hand.
A small magic tool, the Pelican Stone, glowed faintly in his palm.
Deactivating the official code but keeping the personal one… it almost sounded like he was waiting for someone to contact him.
I looked up at the blazing sun. The sky was clear, and the wind calm.
Perfect weather for sailing.
Terrible weather for hiding.
“Can I ask who it is? As someone riding the same boat, that much seems fair.”
“Kanoe.”
“Yes.”
His voice was firm. As if he already knew what I was thinking, he met my eyes with unwavering resolve.
“No one has ever died on a ship I was aboard.”
“….”
He wasn’t wrong.
As the former commander of the Marina, called the Lord of Storms, his words weren’t to be taken lightly.
He had earned that weight through his own efforts.
“And no one ever will.”
Temporary or not, it felt like he had truly brought me into the circle of ‘companions.’
“Seriously…”
A sigh escaped me, half-exasperated, half-admiring.
This man really had a gift for persuading people.
I took one small step forward… then stopped.
Just a little more, and I could almost touch him.
From that distance, I met the golden eyes glowing like the sunset.
“You better keep that promise.”
As long as we’re on the same ship—
I decided I’d trust this temporary companion a little more.
